US embassy cable - 05TEGUCIGALPA786

C O N F I D E N T I A L TEGUCIGALPA 000786 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR WHA, WHA/CCA, WHA/PPC, AND WHA/CEN 
STATE FOR DRL/MLA, IO/SHA, AND EUR/RUS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/13/2015 
TAGS: PHUM, PREL, KDEM, HO, BO, UNHRC-1, CHR-1, RU 
SUBJECT: HONDURAN FM ON UNCHR RESOLUTIONS: YES VOTE ON 
CUBA, ABSTENTION PLANNED ON BELARUS BUT AMB URGES YES VOTE 
 
REF: A. OLSEN/GARZA E-MAIL 04/13 (NOTAL) 
 
     B. TEGUCIGALPA 764 
     C. STATE 64376/63981 
     D. OLSEN/GARZA E-MAIL 04/06 (NOTAL) 
     E. TEGUCIGALPA 716 
     F. STATE 56093 
     G. TEGUCIGALPA 611 
     H. STATE 44494 
     I. STATE 42847 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Larry Palmer; 
Reasons 1.5 (b) and (d). 
 
1. (C) Ambassador met the morning of April 13, on the margins 
of a G-17 meeting, with Honduran President Ricardo Maduro to 
verify the GOH's planned vote in favor of the UNCHR Cuba 
resolution.  President Maduro confirmed that the GOH would 
vote in favor of the Cuba resolution. 
 
2. (C) PolOff then spoke at mid-day with Honduran MFA Vice 
Minister AMB Mario Fortin, who reiterated that Honduras would 
vote for the UNCHR Cuba resolution and that the Honduran 
PermRep in Geneva had been sent instructions.  Fortin also 
reiterated that Honduras would vote against any no-action 
motion on the Belarus resolution, and said that FM Leonidas 
Rosa Bautista was still considering the GOH's final position 
on the resolution itself.  The conversation was a follow-up 
to PolCouns' conversation with Fortin April 12 when PolCouns 
urged Fortin to change the GOH position from abstention to 
yes on the Belarus resolution. 
 
3. (C) AMB then spoke in the afternoon with FM Rosa Bautista 
who again reiterated that the GOH would vote for the Cuba 
resolution, but would not co-sponsor it.  With regard to the 
Belarus resolution, the FM said that the GOH still planned to 
abstain on the actual resolution, at the request of Russia. 
AMB pushed hard for a yes vote on the Belarus resolution, 
emphasizing the importance to the U.S. of the resolution's 
passage.  The FM agreed to tell AMB prior to the vote if the 
GOH would not vote yes on the Belarus resolution. 
 
4. (C) The Spanish DCM, on behalf of the EU, also continues 
to push Vice Foreign Minister Fortin for Honduran support for 
the UNCHR resolution on Belarus. 
 
5. (C) Comment: Post is certain that the GOH will vote in 
favor of the Cuba resolution.  The Belarus resolution is a 
different story.  While the GOH abstained on the Belarus 
resolution in 2004 and apparently promised Russia it would do 
so again this year, Post believes there is a chance that the 
GOH will change its position and vote in favor of the 
resolution.  End Comment. 
Palmer